


Faoiltiama

by Peryton



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F, Werewolf
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-14
Updated: 2017-01-14
Packaged: 2018-09-17 08:36:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,449
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9313820
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Peryton/pseuds/Peryton
Summary: Short AU ficlet about how Belle first met Ruby





	

Belle was just finished locking up the library when she heard the crunch of footsteps behind her on the snow. She span round, her heart beating frantically in her chest and caught sight of the figure slowly advancing, hidden by the shadows until he walked into the glow of the streetlight.  
  
"Rumple!" Belle gasped out, bringing her hand up to her heart. "You scared me."  
  
"It's dangerous to be out in the dark dearie, especially a pretty girl like yourself.”  
  
"Rumple, please, you said you'd leave me alone so I could think." Belle backed up almost tripping on the steps behind her.  
  
"And I have left you alone, you moved into that roach infested apartment, I let you get a job here. But now it's time to come back home Belle."  
  
"Rumple, no. I need time; you can't just come around and demand I come back with you."  
  
"Belle my love, I promise it will be different, I'll be different."  
  
"You're already trying to control me how is this supposed to make me believe you've changed?"  
  
Rumple gets ever closer to Belle who flinches back, fear widening her eyes.  
  
A low growl breaks through Belle's rising panic, Rumple steps back from her slightly, glancing behind him. Belle looks past him and sees a large animal shrouded in the shadows, standing in the snow, staring straight at them.  
  
Rumple dismisses it, not realising the threat, and turns back to Belle. He grabs her hands and holds them, imploring her to listen to him, attempting to pull Belle back to him.  
  
"Come back with me Belle, it wasn't all bad was it? Remember how we were together? We can be that way again, I'll spend more time with you. We can take some time away from here, away from everything, just the two of us.”  
  
"Rumple please let me go."  
  
His hands increase the pressure and are digging into Belle's wrists. Belle winces in pain and her eyes are wide with fear staring into Rumple's shadow filled eyes.  
  
Rumple suddenly pulls back, he keeps hold of his grip on Belle's wrists and she is nearly pulled over with the unexpected movement. But as soon as Belle thinks he's pulling her down to the floor and her already racing heart starts thundering in her chest Rumple releases her, raising the hand holding his cane, angrily turning and strikes at the large animal who is pulling on his coat.  
  
"Get off you mutt!" Rumple shouts, ignoring Belle huddled on the library step to focus on the dog.  
  
He swings his cane wildly at the dodging animal, and Belle hears a loud crack and a yelp. Rumple presses his advantage and hits the animal a few more times before the large dog manages to roll away from his blows.  
  
The dog moves round towards Belle who flinches back, pressing against the door, wondering whether she can get the door open before the beast attacks her.  
  
Rumple pulls himself up to his full height, out of breath and leaning heavily on his cane he steps towards them, but the dog jumps forward, jaws snapping and hackles raised.  
  
Rumple looks at Belle and tries to move closer to her but the huge dog leaps between them again, growling every time he tries to get closer to Belle.  
  
“I only want what’s best for you, can’t you see that?” He says his voice turning pleading again. “But I won’t force you Belle, you know where to find me.” With a last glare at the dog between them he turns to leave.

Once Rumple leaves Belle notices the dog visibly relaxes after he is out of sight and the fear that the dog will suddenly attack her lessens.  
  
"I guess you don't like him either, do you boy?" Belle notices the dog looked strangely put out at that but she continued voicing her thoughts to the dog, even though she knows better than to expect the dog will understand her. "No collar on you… Where's your owner, huh buddy?"  
  
Belle tentatively stretches out a hand and the dog makes a show of sniffing and licking it. Belle slowly pats the dog between the ears, reassured by its wagging tail she crouched down and starts stroking it in earnest.  
  
Belle doesn't notice the tears falling until she hears the dog whine and nudge her face with its cold nose.  
  
Pressing her face into the warm shaggy fur she lets the tears soak into the dog’s fur and feels another wetness already on the dog's coat. Bringing her hand up to brush against it Belle winces when it comes away red with blood.  
  
"You're hurt. And I don’t know who you belong to or where you live.” Belle muses half to herself and half to the dog that is watching her with interest. The only vet in town will be closed by now and Belle can’t find it in herself to leave an injured animal out on the streets.

“Come on boy, I can't leave you out here all night.” Belle says coming to a decision.

The dog backs away from Belle and watches her carefully.  
  
"I've got some nice juicy steak at home." Belle says coaxingly. "Great, now I'm talking to an animal."  
  
Belle sighs and looks at the dog dejectedly. She starts walking back, pulling her coat closer around her to ward off the sudden chill she feels. Belle glances from side to side, imagining every shadow is a person lying in wait.  
  
She hears soft steps behind her and freezes, only to let out a sigh of relief when she feels the cold nose of the dog push into her hand.  
  
"You changed your mind about the steak then?" Belle questions smiling down at the animal while threading her hand into the thick fur of its scruff.  
  
The dog happily keeps pace with Belle until she reaches the door of her apartment building but once she goes to usher the animal in it backs away, Belle turns around and looks entreatingly at the creature that has protected her once tonight at to its own detriment.

“Come on boy, please.” Belle says her voice cracking.

The dog looks up and down the street before seemingly deciding to go along with Belle’s request, almost sighing as it brushes past Belle on its way inside the building and follows her up to her apartment.

Once inside her small apartment, made even smaller with the books filling every surface and piled by the wall and sofa, she sees the animal in the light for first time. Belle looks at the blood spattered black coat and intelligent golden eyes studying her and rushes to her medical cabinet for something that might help the injured animal sitting quietly in her living room. Returning quickly with arms laden down with bandages and saline solutions she kneels down next to the animal and starts trying to clean up the dog’s fur.

“It’s hard to tell where your wounds are amongst the fur.” Belle says frowning as she looks for the origin of the blood on the animal’s head. “Maybe I could cut some of it…” Belle says thoughtfully.

The dog whines and pulls its head away from Belle’s attentions.

“All right all right, no haircuts.” Belle sighs, “It’s almost as if you know what I’m saying.”

Belle cleaned and bandaged the dog up to the best of her ability and was just settling down with a book, the dog licking its chops after a plateful of steak when a knock on the door startles Belle from her position on the sofa.

Belle walks over to answer it, patting the dog absentmindedly on the head as she passes it.

As soon as Belle opens the door Rumple is pushing it back into Belle, trying to get in.

"How did you know where I lived?" Is the first thing Belle thinks when she sees him, and it makes its way from her brain to Rumple without her conscious filtering the words.

She realises her mistake as soon as she sees his eyes darken angrily.

"You didn't think I wouldn't keep an eye on what's mine?” He grimaced, his face contorting in fury as he pushes against the weight of Belle behind the door.

Belle slides backwards, a feeling of helplessness washing over her but a deep growl stops Rumple in his tracks.

“You bought that mutt into your home?” Rumple sneers, glaring at the dark furred animal standing in her living room.

“I can do what I want Rumple, you don’t own me.” Belle says, her voice quavering.

He looks at her as if he can sense she’s close to breaking

“What are you even doing here Belle?” His voice drops to pleading again. “You know you can’t survive alone, isn’t it better to have someone you can trust to always care about you?”

Belle flounders, unsure what to say, how to get rid of him again, if it’s even worth it if he’s just going to keep coming back. But the dog is suddenly at her side, the low growls continuous now and Rumple steps back slightly, not taking his eyes from the animal to look at Belle.

“You have to go Rumple, I don’t want you to come around to where I work or where I live anymore.”

“But Belle-”

“If I want to talk to you I’ll call.” Belle says with finality and succeeds with closing the door on him, his shell-shocked face the last thing she sees.

Belle leans against the closed door in relief, the dog settles in beside her, its sturdy weight comforting her.

"Maybe I should keep you.” Belle says softly as she runs her hands over the creature’s fur, smiling when the dog’s eyes close in obvious enjoyment when she caresses at a point behind the animal’s ear.

Belle eventually gets up from her position on the floor and makes her way to the bedroom, the dog watches her intently until she starts undressing for bed, then it vanishes back into the living room and Belle finds it lying on the sofa.

“I suppose sleeping on the sofa is a fair trade for what you’ve done for me tonight. You better not shed though.” Belle says to the dog before going back into her bedroom for the night.

* * *

  
A crash wakens Belle, she opens her eyes to see the morning’s faint light trying to make it’s way through the clouds and jerks upright, her heart pounding as she listens carefully for the origin of the noise.

Belle was debating whether to call the police and tell them someone had broken into her apartment when she heard another muffled thump followed by a hushed profanity.

Belle frowned, that definitely didn’t sound like Rumple, she slowly got out of bed and picked up the first thing she had to hand that might possibly do some damage to someone.

Opening the door slowly Belle came face to face with who was making the noise in her apartment and all thoughts of being stealthy were thrust from her brain with what she saw.

“Oh, wow.” Belle breathed out, taking in the naked woman standing in her living room.

The woman had long black hair and even longer legs and jerked around to see Belle as soon as she had spoken.

“Err… hi? -This isn’t what it looks like.” The raven haired girl said hurriedly, her eyes frantically scanning the distance to the door and taking in the hasty barricade Belle had made last night to prevent another late night call from Rumple.

“Werewolf.” Belle breathes out in amazement.

“What?” The dark haired woman laughed, but Belle caught the hint of shock in her eyes as she looked around the apartment furtively as if looking for the best way to escape.

“Call me crazy but your wounds are in exactly the same place as the dog I brought back to my apartment. And now the dog is missing and you’re here.”

“Most people wouldn't automatically think ‘werewolf’ when faced with these coincidences.”

“What should I be thinking then?” Belle asked.

“I don’t know… a gang of thugs?”

“A gang of thugs numbering one, very naked, woman?”

“Maybe my crew are hiding and you’re playing right into our hands.” The dark haired woman said playfully. “In any case you shouldn’t just storm out here alone.”

“Well… I bought a weapon.” Belle brandished the item in her hand at the leggy brunette who rolled her eyes when she looked at it.

“I hardly think the Necronomicon would protect you from anyone, unless they were interested in discussing Lovecraft.”

“It was the largest book I had to hand.” Belle says shrugging. “Anyway, you’re very concerned for my well-being considering you’re claiming to be robbing me or something.”

Something flashed across the stranger’s face at that and she seemed uncertain.

“I just…”

“I’m interested to hear how you’re going to explain your break in considering the door is still locked and I live on the fifth floor though.” Belle interrupted her.

“Ah.” The woman looked back at the still locked and barricaded door.

“And if you’re not a werewolf explain the missing dog?” Belle said excitedly.

The stranger winces at that.

“Can we just say wolf please? I’ve already lost major points what with the ear scratches.”

“I thought you liked the ear scratches?” Belle says puzzled.

“I did, I do- Oh gods.” The woman groaned, cutting herself off and raking a hand through her long hair. “How about we start over.”

“That sounds good.”

“Maybe with some clothes?”

“Oh… sure.” Belle says, glancing at the woman’s naked body again and blushing at the leer she sees on the strangers face.

Belle returns with some clothes and tries not to watch the woman dressing.

“You know at least I had the decency to not look while you undressed.” The woman says good-naturedly.

“Ah, um. Well.”

“Relax. I’m kidding. It’s not like I blame you anyway.” the woman winks lasciviously and Belle blushes. “I’m Ruby by the way.”

“Belle.”

“I know,” Ruby replies nodding, “I heard it from that guy last night.”

Belle pales at the memory and Ruby moves towards her, her expression worried.

“Who was he anyway?” Ruby asks, coming to a stop within touching distance of Belle but taking care not to reach out.

“An ex.”

“Well, you clearly need to work on your standards.

“Yeah.” Belle says dejectedly looking down at her feet.

Ruby looks at Belle awkwardly for a few moments before sighing heavily and looking at the ceiling.

“I mean even werewolves would be better than that crocodile.” Ruby says, the words escaping in a rush.

“Yeah?” Belle asks, her voice brightening slightly.

 

**Author's Note:**

> The old tale: girl finds dog, girl realises dog is actually a beautiful werewolf, girl falls for werewolf. That old chestnut.  
> I don't know, I just like werewolves.


End file.
